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Group Report (group + report)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

NGWA Interest Group Report from Orlando

GROUND WATER, Issue 2 2004
Stephen E. Ragone
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

The epidemiology of cannabis use and cannabis-related harm in Australia 1993,2007

ADDICTION, Issue 6 2010
Amanda Roxburgh
ABSTRACT Aims To examine trends in patterns of cannabis use and related harm in the Australian population between 1993 and 2007. Design Analysis of prospectively collected data from: (1) the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) and Australian Secondary Student Alcohol and Drug Survey (ASSADS); (2) the National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD); and (3) the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Dataset (AODTS-NMDS). Participants Australians aged 14 years and over from the general population; students aged 12,17 years; public and private hospital in-patients; public and private in-patients and out-patients attending for drug treatment. Measurement Prevalence of 12-month cannabis use among the general population and secondary students. Proportions in the general population by age group reporting: daily cannabis use; difficulties in controlling cannabis use; and heavy cannabis use on each occasion. Number of hospital and treatment presentations for cannabis-related problems. Findings Prevalence of past-year cannabis use has declined in the Australian population since the late 1990s. Among those reporting past-year use, daily use is prevalent among 40,49-year-olds, while heavy patterns of use are prevalent among 14,19-year-olds. Hospital presentations for cannabis-related problems reflect similar trends. Past-year cannabis use has decreased among the 10,19-year age group, but those who are daily users in this age group report using large quantities of cannabis. Conclusions Despite declines in the prevalence of cannabis use, continued public health campaigns warning of the harms associated with cannabis use are essential, aimed particularly at users who are already experiencing problems. The increasing demand for treatment for cannabis problems in Australia suggests the need for more accessible and more effective interventions for cannabis use disorders. [source]

Blocked D phenomenon, a rare condition with Rh D haemolytic disease of newborn , a case report

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LABORATORY HEMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2008
P. V. SULOCHANA
Summary Accurate Rh testing can be difficult if the red cells are heavily coated with IgG anti D antibodies , a phenomenon called blocked D. Repeatedly, Rh D negative blood group report was obtained in a newborn male baby with severe haemolytic disease and features of kernicterus born to a 2nd gravida B Rh D negative mother. On investigation, the baby was grouped as B Rh D negative by direct grouping, but after elution, D antigen was detected and phenotyped as CcDe. Antibody was identified as anti D. All D antigens of the baby were fully saturated with anti D leaving any antigen to bind with antisera. Direct Coombs test was strongly positive even after three exchange transfusions. The baby also had free antibody apart from the red cell bound and the red cell eluate, gave a titre of 512. The mother was grouped as B Rh D negative and phenotyped as ce. She had IgM and IgG class of anti D with titres 32 and 1024 respectively. She also had IgM anti C (only in neat) and IgG anti-A with a titre of 512. [source]

From Habermas's communicative theory to practice on the internet

INFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 4 2003
Michael S. H. Heng
Abstract., Communication plays a crucial role in influencing our social life. However, communication has often been distorted by unequal opportunities to initiate and participate in it. Such conditions have been criticized by Habermas who argues for an ideal speech situation, i.e. a situation of democratic communication with equal opportunities for social actors to communicate in an undistorted manner. This ideal situation is partially being realized by the advent of the internet. The paper describes how an internet-based tool for collaborative authoring was conceptualized, developed and then deployed with Habermas's Critical Social Theory as a guiding principle. The internet-based electronic forum, known by its acronym GRASS (Group Report Authoring Support System), is a web tool supporting the production of concise group reports that give their readers an up-to-date and credible overview of the positions of various stakeholders on a particular issue. Together with people and procedures, it is a comprehensive socio-technical information system that can play a role in resolving societal conflicts. A prototype of GRASS has been used by an environmental group as a new way in which to create a more equal exchange and comparison of ideas among various stakeholders in the debate on genetically modified food. With the widespread use of the internet, such a forum has the potential to become an emergent form of communication for widely dispersed social actors to conduct constructive debate and discussion. The barriers to such a mode of communication still remain , in the form of entrenched power structures, and limitations to human rationality and responsibility. However, we believe that the support provided by the comprehensive system of technological functionality as well as procedural checks and balances provided by GRASS may considerably reduce the impact of these obstacles. In this way, the ideal speech situation may be approximated more closely in reality. [source]